Game Theory and Economics
- Grades 7-11
- CTY-Level
-
Residential
- Mathematics
IBM founder Thomas J. Watson once said, “Business is a game—the greatest game in the world if you know how to play it.” In today’s global marketplace, understanding game theory—the branch of mathematics that focuses on the application of strategic reasoning to competitive behavior—is key to success in business and economics. This course uses game theory as a framework from which to analyze a variety of real-world economic situations. You’ll analyze simple games to learn how they can be used to model actual situations encountered by entrepreneurs and economists. For example, you’ll apply the concept of Nash equilibria to find the perfect price for a pizza. Through class discussions, activities, research, and mathematical analysis, you and your classmates will acquire an understanding of more complex games and apply these methods to a variety of economic situations such as auctions and bidding behavior, fair division and profit sharing, monopolies and oligopolies, and bankruptcy.
Typical Class Size: 16-18
This course is
ungraded.
Summer Dates & Locations
After May 2, 2025, registration is available upon request pending eligibility and seat availability. To request placement, email [email protected] after submitting a program application.
Session One
Session Two
Testing and Prerequisites
| Math | Verbal | |
|---|---|---|
| Required Level | CTY-Level | Not required |
Students must achieve qualifying scores on an advanced assessment to be eligible for CTY programs. If you don’t have qualifying scores, you have several different testing options. We’ll help you find the right option for your situation.
Sign up for Testing Learn MoreCourse Prerequisites
Game Theory and Economics requires:1 prerequisite
Algebra 1
Cost and Financial Aid
Tuition
- Varies
Application fee
- Nonrefundable Application Fee - $55 (Waived for financial aid applicants)
- Nonrefundable International Fee - $250 (outside US only)
Financial Aid is available
We are committed to serving all talented youth regardless of financial circumstances. Financial assistance is available based on need.
Course Materials
Students should bring basic school supplies like pens, notebooks, and folders to their summer program. You will be notified of any additional items needed before the course begins. All other materials will be provided by CTY.
Sample Reading
These titles have been featured in past sessions of the course, and may be included this summer. CTY provides students with all texts; no purchase is required.
- Game Theory and Strategy, Philip D. Straffin
- Thinking Strategically, Avinash Dixit and Barry Nalebuff
About Mathematics at CTY
Explore the study of shapes
Many of our courses allow students to describe the world around them in basic and profound ways. Younger students build foundational skills by exploring shape, scale, and proportion in Geometry and Spatial Sense. Middle School students delve into real-world applications of lines and analyze data with curves that follow uniform, symmetric, bell-shaped, or skewed patterns in Data and Chance. Advanced students unveil the deep interplay between numbers and shapes, investigating how triangular, square, and polygonal numbers create patterns that bridge geometry and algebra in Number Theory. By examining these elegant number patterns and symmetries, students discover how mathematics captures the intricate beauty and underlying structure of the natural world.
Dive deep into logic and reasoning
Our courses in formal logic give you the tools to question the world around you. Inductive and Deductive Reasoning introduces younger students to different types of reasoning, as well as the strengths and weaknesses inherent in various forms of critical analysis. Older students explore how logical reasoning can explain (or fail to explain) counter-intuitive results in Paradoxes and Infinities, or take a more rigorous approach to formal logic in Mathematical Logic.
Meet our instructors and staff
CTY is one of the highlights of my year. Even though it’s the summer, the immersive learning in a subject where these students truly excel and shine is invigorating for me as a teacher.
Lauren LaPorta
Writing Instructor
When I was a student at CTY, I was excited to be in a place where all of the instructors and program assistants loved learning as much as I did. It wasn't until I came back as a PA that I realized CTY instructors feel just as excited to work with such dedicated and curious students.
Nick Smith
Program Assistant and CTY Alum
CTY students have a contagious energy combined with a thirst for knowledge that I look forward to each summer. They remind me of why I became a teacher.
Antonia Richards
Chemistry Instructor